By Rob Atkinson

He’s a pretty downy old bird, Brian McDermott. You get the feeling that he doesn’t miss a trick in the business of getting the very best out of the resources at his disposal, and it’s a safe bet that he’ll be bang up to date with any factors that might affect his team’s chances of success. The last time he operated in this league, his Reading FC team recovered from a dodgy start to scorch through the pack and leave the rest of the division breathless in their wake as they clinched the Title. On the face of it, there’s no reason he can’t do the same at Leeds – as long as he’s fully aware of one vital fact. Everyone raises their game against Leeds United. We are everyone’s Cup Final. What this means, in effect, is that – more so than most clubs – our players have to be prepared to face a very stiff challenge almost every week. When the fixtures come out, fans of every other club in the league dive to examine the list, looking for one game: Leeds at home. Those fans will leave their club and team in no doubt in the weeks and days leading up to their Cup Final – we must beat Leeds, or die trying. So many times since we dropped out of the Premier League – and even before that – I’ve seen teams put in gut-busting, lung-bursting performances to pull off a great result against my hapless heroes in White. So many times I’ve noted that this team’s next game produces a limp and pallid display as they struggle to a draw or defeat. But, no matter – as long as they did it against Leeds United, their fans and their manager are happy. We’re the scalp they all want, the potential feather in everyone’s cap.

This is particularly so when you look at the other teams in Yorkshire, for whom – you get the unmistakable impression – beating Leeds really is the be-all and end-all. Your Huddersfields, your Barnsleys, your Sheffield teams. Doncaster, even. All those Hovis and cobblestone outfits. They all have this chip-on-the-shoulder, urgent NEED to do it against Leeds. Their fans demand it, motivated by a hatred for which they’re not even sure of the reason – summat to do with what their dad said about the sixties and Don bloody Revie. But they simply must beat Leeds – do that, and avoid relegation and it’s been a good season. Look at opposition message boards after Leeds have beaten their favourites. The grief and bitterness are palpable, it’s something they just can’t cope with. It’s the same for the managers. Remember the amusing sight of Darren Ferguson on the very edge of tears after defeat at Elland Road?

Brian McDermott, you feel, will be thoroughly aware of this – of the local derby factor, and of the feeling further abroad which inspires the likes of Forest and Derby, Millwall and Leicester to raise their performance levels against us. If anyone can make this deep-seated hostility work FOR Leeds, you can bet Brian is that man. He’s building his squad, and he’ll be building an attitude as well, the us-against-them solidarity that served him so well in this league at Reading. Leeds is a horse of a different colour, of course, but the wily Brian will have it figured out, and he’ll want to use the other lot’s hostility against them. We supporters will have our part to play too. The fans just have to make Elland Road a cauldron of hostility again, somewhere that other teams and opposition players hate to play, because they know they’ll be facing 11 motivated and buzzing white shirts and 25000 12th men, screaming abuse at them the whole game through. That’s how we handled it in 1990 under Wilko, and this guy can get the same thing going, if anyone can.

46 games is a long, long haul – the original football “marathon not a sprint”. The advantage the other clubs will have is they’ll only face two Cup Finals in the season, maybe a couple more for those with local rivalries. But for the other clubs, Leeds is The One, so we’re going to have to be up for it – bang up for it – each and every week. If Brian McDermott can foster that attitude and that fighting spirit, and if we can win enough of those 46 Cup Finals as a result – then maybe, this time next year, we’ll be poised at the gates of the Promised Land.

I really believe that BM will achieve success with us, and this season. His philosophy along with the type of players he's recruiting will see us back where we belong... This is our season, In BM I trust mot

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Mr orange

4/7/2013 10:00:31 pm

Totally agree , they all do up their game against us and now is the time for all Leeds fans to forget the past under bates etc, this team and manager are going to need our backing and I think the buzz is back around ER for the 25 to 30 thousand crowds to turn up again and when they do turn up in full voice we'll be the twelth man to push this great club back where it belongs ,
Come on lads , lets leave the past behind and get right behind McDermott this season , marching on together

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jimmy from ireland

4/7/2013 10:12:29 pm

Yes really lukin 4word 2the new season under bm he will bring the pride back to the club and to the players so lets all get behind bm and the team and get us back where we belong the pl marching on together

i am for once happy with how things are going at leeds brian mac definatley puts a spring in the step of the fans so god knows what the players are feeling like MOT

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James

4/7/2013 10:16:38 pm

No offense but leeds is not the fixture people look out for unless its ur direct rival. I was more interested in the following........

Bournemouth away
Brighton away
Blackpool away
Watford home
Qpr home

Dont get above your station the only people that care about leeds are leeds fans just like the only people that care about Reading are reading fans

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MrLew

4/7/2013 11:34:34 pm

Hhmm......and you're a fan of which team?....and you came onto a Leeds forum/blog why?

Thing is, other than local derbys which team do fans really really want to beat.....my guess is it's probably still Leeds for most of them.

A question for you....if you could pick a team you're playing this season (not local derby) that you could guarantee a win for your team which would you choose...and why?

MOT

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dan

4/7/2013 10:27:18 pm

That's your problem , you still think your'e a big club. Nobody gives a fuck anymore about Leeds. 22,000 at home, hardly a cauldron. Way bigger games in the Championship. Wednesday, Leicester, Forest etc.

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Rich

4/7/2013 10:42:54 pm

But you came and read this article on a leeds site. Keep hating us. We love it

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Mr orange

4/7/2013 10:45:05 pm

If you don't give a fuck about us anymore what are you doing on a weallloveLeeds blog you fucking half wit

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jay

4/7/2013 10:49:42 pm

Any troops from Bates troops should be fired. BM will bring better players with passion. This season should be able to see who are playing for their wages and not for LUFC!! As long as there are good results every week then dont care whether there are 2,200 or 22,000 people coming to ER. Will be interesting to see how many new players will come in to LUFC by end July. I have been supporting LUFC for over 20years now from S.E.Asia!! Feels like a brand new LUFC at the moment but we shouldnt get carried away just yet. Past is past so now we just have to support LUFC even better. Marching on together!!

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john hill

5/7/2013 12:12:17 am

Sorry but i support Reading and the first game i looked for was Bournemouth away! Go on thinking you're every teams cup final if you like, take a reality check, you are not the biggest scalp in the championship. Brian will see you all right though. First thing he needs to do though is remind you you are just an ordinary championship club! Hope you have a great season though, which you will do if you get over yourselves!

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dean

5/7/2013 12:59:56 am

Well how come every away match,we play,its there biggest crowd of the season.like noel hunt said,we r one of the 6 biggest clubs in england.

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Mr orange

5/7/2013 01:36:34 am

Just checked on the map to see where excatly reading is !!!"

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Steve

5/7/2013 04:10:58 am

Just wanted to say having other fans reading our websites and bothering to comment proves the article right. I can honestly say I never look at any other clubs sites. MOT.

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R1

5/7/2013 05:39:02 am

I guess the reading fans on hear are just nosing around to see the thoughts about BM. Nobody other than Leeds fans care about Leeds. Cup final.....really get a grip!!!!!

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Tare

5/7/2013 05:45:18 am

4 points /2 game is one maths evaluation. well this is not unheard vision here but a target that has been put in the front like Wilko at 1990s.

Tare

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PAUL W

5/7/2013 09:17:14 am

Every away game that Leeds play in nearly always has the biggest attendance of the season for the home team, because Leeds are the biggest club outside the Premiership and probably the 10th biggest club in Britain. I remember Wilko saying after the promotion win at Bournmouth in 1990, that every one of the 46 games played by Leeds were all hard and how Leeds had to battle even harder in the 23 away matches that season. Every team raise their game when they play Leeds and a lot of teams are extremely pathetically jealous. When I went on holiday to Los Angeles last year, an American ask me where I was from and I said Leeds and he instantly said "good soccer team".
Leeds are famous worldwide and if I said that I was from Huddersfield, Sheffield, Barnsley or Doncaster, the American would have said "where is that ?"

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JG

5/7/2013 04:52:20 pm

Get a grip son, 10th biggest club in Britain?. We are the biggest bar none.

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Tare

6/7/2013 03:05:55 am

We are the biggest one for sure, plastic clubs will suffocate eventually no oxygen (fans) when needed.

Tare

PAUL W

6/7/2013 05:10:45 am

O.K. lads, we are one of the biggest clubs potentially, but Leeds have now been out of the Premiership for nearly ten years and we have not won a trophy for 21 years. Leeds are a sleeping giant and can be compared to an old Rolls Royce parked in an over grown field, but I am confident that Uncle Fester can get that Rolls Royce moving again back to the Premiership.
UNCLE FESTERS BARMY ARMY !

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Tare

6/7/2013 06:35:21 am

Well if you ask me then there is no bigger club than the Whites here. Reasoning is that we created this Total Football concept emulating Real Madrid of 1950s. True colour is White as we all know. All hails to DR and his staff. Our destiny is there in PL and this Paris 75 must be straighten out ASAP.

Tare

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PAUL W

6/7/2013 07:54:48 am

You are absolutely right, Don Revie set everything in motion for Leeds and he would have won more trophies with better referees on the pitch. Leeds should have had the European Champions Cup and also the Cup Winners Cup in their trophy cabinet, if they had not been cheated by 2 bent referees in the 1970's. The Leeds and Revie trophy honours list should have been much longer than it is today.